PILLS $$$

SUB-AMBIENT REACTION SYSTEMS FOR CRYSTALLISATION STUDIES

Available in a choice of configurations Asynt DrySyn® SnowStorm systems provide controlled cooling for sub-ambient chemistry without the need for jacketed reaction vessels or ice baths. Operating with a suitable chiller / circulator - DrySyn® SnowStorm systems give accurate, stable temperature control down to –50°C and up to +150°C making them perfect for crystallisation studies and screening polymorphs. DrySyn “SnowStorm One” is designed to accommodate a single standard round-bottomed flask from 50ml to 1000ml. The DrySyn “SnowStorm Multi” takes up to 3 round bottom flasks from 25ml to 100ml, or up to 39 vials in parallel. All SnowStorm units offer powerful agitation using a magnetic stirrer drive. Widely used for cooled reactions the traditional ice bath is limited to temperatures around 0ºC, requires constant attention and is subject to temperature fluctuations. By comparison the stable controlled performance of DrySyn SnowStorm units means that overnight runs can be performed with complete confidence.
www.asynt.com/product_view.php?ProductID=9

HEAT SEALER REPRODUCIBLY SEALS MICROPLATES OF ALL TYPES & SIZES

The new MiniSeal Plus heat sealer from Porvair Sciences operates with a very high force thereby ensuring high integrity sealing of deep well or even irregularly shaped microplates. Building upon the proven track record of Porvair's trusted MiniSeal semi-automatic microplate sealer – MiniSeal Plus offers users even greater comfort and safety in use, together with unmatched reproducibility in sealing microplates of all types and sizes. Designed for ease-of-use and installation the compact MiniSeal Plus just requires plugging into a single electrical outlet to operate. Unlike larger and more expensive automated sealers the MiniSeal Plus does not require a compressed air supply to operate. Controlled through a splash-proof keyboard a MiniSeal Plus can be installed, up to temperature and sealing plates within minutes of unpacking. The compact footprint, about the size of a sheet of A4 paper, means that MiniSeal Plus will fit just about anywhere - on your lab bench or inside a fumehood if required. Rapid heat-up time, a real-time display of the sealing head temperature, automatic plate head detection and pre-cut sealing films combine to simplify your microplate sealing. Drawer loading of microplates into the MiniSeal Plus is both quiet and eliminates the health and safety risks found with some heat sealing systems. In addition to accommodating regular microplates the MiniSeal Plus comes as standard with 2 plate adapters that also enable sealing of deep well and PCR plates. The MiniSeal Plus is capable of producing an accurate and tight seal on any standard, deep well or PCR microplate from 3 to 48mm in height. Offering adjustable temperature heat-sealing from 50°C up to 200°C - MiniSeal is able to operate optimally with most foil and film seals. Established in 1992, Porvair Sciences Ltd. expertise in microplate technology and manufacturing covers scientific fields including Life Sciences, Drug Discovery, Combinatorial Chemistry, Solid Phase Extraction, Protein Purification, High Throughput Screening, Proteomics and Genomics. Porvair Sciences Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Porvair plc.
www.porvair-sciences.com

VERSATILE PARALLEL HIGH PRESSURE REACTOR

Designed to be used in conjunction with a simple benchtop magnetic stirrer or stirrer/hotplate the Asynt Parallel High Pressure Reactor is a cost effective lightweight unit suitable for stirred or non-stirred applications. Proven in applications including homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, hydrogenation, corrosion testing, parallel synthesis and screening the Asynt Parallel High Pressure Reactor can be purpose configured to optimally suit your application. Manufactured in 316 stainless steel the standard Asynt Parallel High Pressure Reactor offers the user - 10 x 30 reaction vessels that can be configured to operate up to 300°C and 100 Bar pressure. However systems can be built to accommodate reaction volumes from 5ml to 50 litres and constructed in a wide range of materials including Hastelloy, Inconel, Titanium and alloy steels to provide an optimised solution for almost any application. Designed by chemists for chemists each Asynt Parallel High Pressure Reactor is extremely easy to set-up (one simple closure) and has a fail-safe mechanism to protect the operator. All Asynt high pressure reactors conform to a wide range of national and international safety standards, including the Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC (PED), Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR) and British Compressed Gases CP4 Rev2 (1998).
www.asynt.com/download_files/150.pdf

NEW DATA CONFIRM MASTERSIZER 3000 IS BREAKING NEW GROUND IN DRY POWDER PARTICLE SIZING

New experimental data published by Malvern Instruments illustrate the real-world capability and flexibility of the Mastersizer 3000 laser diffraction system for the particle size measurement of dry powders. Equipped with the unique Aero S dry dispersion unit, the Mastersizer 3000 breaks new ground in dry powder particle sizing and experimental results are described in Extending the boundaries of laser diffraction measurements: Enhanced dry dispersion with the Aero S, a new publication on the Malvern website. This summarizes a series of studies that demonstrate how the Mastersizer 3000 deals equally efficiently with materials ranging from pigments to milk powder and coffee, delivering effective dispersion without particle damage, even for fragile materials. Compared with other laser diffraction systems it significantly broadens the range of materials and applications to which this convenient measurement technique can be applied. Visit www.malvern.com/dry-powder-particle-sizing
Dry particle size measurement is efficient, is especially useful for moisture sensitive materials, and since it requires no dispersants it is environmentally friendly. However, it relies on efficient dry dispersion of the sample, requiring sufficient dispersive energy to completely deagglomerate the sample but without inflicting particle damage. The modular design of the Mastersizer 3000’s Aero S dispersion unit provides options for controlling dispersion that include an adjustable hopper, different feed tray designs and a choice of two different venturis. The standard venturi has no impaction surfaces and uses shear forces to disperse the sample, while the high energy venturi uses impaction to achieve more aggressive dispersion. The new data illustrate the suitability of different configurations of the Aero S for widely differing materials and shows how the flexibility of the system enables the user to develop a robust method for each and every type of sample. All modular components are automatically recognized by the system software so an optimized test set-up is readily locked into a Standard Operating Procedure that automates all subsequent measurements.
www.malvern.com

SCIENTIFIC

BRAIN VARIANTS OF PROTEIN ASSOCIATED
WITH HUNTINGTON'S AND OTHER NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES IDENTIFIED

A protein essential for metabolism and recently associated with neurodegenerative diseases also occurs in several brain-specific forms. This discovery emerged in the course of a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, the findings of which have now been published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics. The scientists working on the project discovered a large new region in the genetic code of the protein PGC-1alpha. Previously unknown variations of the protein, which can be found specifically in the brain, are produced from this region. This discovery may provide tissue-specific starting points for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington´s, Parkinson´s and Alzheimer´s.
PGC-1alpha is a real jack-of-all-trades. As a central regulator of metabolic genes that coordinate energy metabolism, the protein, which functions as a "transcriptional coactivator", influences major body functions. The extent to which the protein also influences medical conditions like obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome is unclear, and was under further investigation as part of a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. In the course of their research, however, the scientists stumbled on unexpected findings with a particular relevance for neurodegenerative diseases.

Major difference
A research team headed by Prof. Wolfgang Patsch from the Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Laboratory Medicine at the Paracelsus Medical University established that the gene which codes for PGC-1alpha (PPARGC1A) is six times larger than hitherto assumed. A new promoter was actually found at some distance (ca. 580 kb) from the previously known gene. A promoter is a DNA segment usually occurring upstream from a gene that can ultimately control how that gene is expressed as a protein. The transmission of genetic information from DNA to RNA molecules, i.e. transcription, is an important intermediate step in this process.
Transcripts, which are produced from the newly discovered promoter, were now examined in detail as part of the research project. "These transcripts differ in important regions from those encoded by the previously characterised - reference - PPARGC1A locus. Based on these differences, we were able to show that these previously unknown transcripts are produced specifically in human brain cells and are at least as common there as the reference transcripts," explains Dr. Selma M. Soyal, first author of the article currently published in Human Molecular Genetics. Further analyses showed that the differences in the transcripts lead to the formation of proteins which differ from the protein that acts as a reference, in particular at the N-terminus. Other differences were found within the PGC-1alpha amino acid chain.
When the different PGC-1alpha proteins were localised in human cells (SH-SY5Y), another surprise awaited the scientists: whereas the reference protein was located mainly in the cell nucleus, one of the newly discovered variants was mainly found in the surrounding cytoplasm; another was found both in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm. According to Prof. Patsch: "It is likely that the differences we found in the transcripts influence mechanisms in the finished proteins which control their localisation in the cell."

A protein with impact
The detailed functional characterisation of the brain-specific proteins could prove significant, as PGC-1alpha is associated with various neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington´s disease, Parkinson´s and Alzheimer´s - a link that was also confirmed by the project. Using complex statistical analyses, sequence differences in the new promoter were examined in 1.706 Huntington patients as part of a collaboration with the European Huntington´s Disease Network. A clear correlation emerged here between different sequence patterns and the age of onset of the disease in the patients. In addition, the scientists were also able to show that the newly discovered promoter is active in nerve tissue. This indicates that it may actually play an important role in the only partly known links between PGC-1alpha and the neurodegenerative diseases in question.
Overall, the findings of this project, which is funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, indicate complex functions of PGC-1alpha in humans. If the scientists succeed in reaching a better understanding of this complexity, PGC-1alpha could provide new possibilities for future therapeutic intervention in key neurodegenerative diseases.
PR&D - Public Relations for Research and Education
http://www.prd.at

NEXT GENERATION: IN VIVO DRUG FACTORIES
RESEARCHERS USE UV LIGHT TO STIMULATE PROTEIN PRODUCTION IN NANO-SIZED DELIVERY CAPSULES IN MICE.

Nanoparticles expressing a GFP reporter

Device: Science is one step closer to producing drugs in the right place at the right time in the body, avoiding the collateral damage of untargeted treatments. Researchers led by Daniel Anderson at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed nanoparticles that can be stimulated via UV light to produce proteins on demand in vivo. The new method, which involves packaging the molecular machinery for making proteins into a membraned capsule, allows the researchers to spatially and temporally regulate protein production, said Zhen Gu, who also researches nanoparticle drug delivery at North Carolina State and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, but did not participate in the research. “They can control generation of a protein at any time with a trigger of light.” The scientists created the nano-sized “protein factories” by using lipids to encapsulate polymerase and other machinery necessary for protein production from E. coli, along with a DNA plasmid containing a gene of interest. To block transcription until the right moment, they added a DNA “photo-labile cage” to the plasmid—a small chemical that inhibits transcription but is cleaved by exposure to UV light. To test the principle in vivo, the researchers used luciferase as the reporter protein and injected mice with the nanovesicles. After zapping them with UV light at the site of injection, they were able to measure a local burst of luminescence.

What’s new: Protein expression in liposomes has been possible for at least 10 years, said Mitchel Doktycz, a synthetic biologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. What is new, said Doktycz, who did not participate in the research, is being able to control the timing of protein expression in an animal. “They can do it remotely,” he said. And that switch is not limited to UV light, added Gu, but will likely work with other wavelengths using different chemical ligands.

Importance: Many life-saving drugs, such as chemotherapy, can have nasty and toxic effects outside the tissues they’re designed to treat. The goal of remotely-controlled factories like Anderson’s is to produce a drug in a specific place (such as a tumor) at a specific time (after enough particles have accumulated to produce a therapeutic effect). Anderson’s group is “trying to deliver a payload, [and] activate [it] in a specific spot, so they’re not dosing everywhere,” Doktycz explained—which has the potential to minimize side effects while maximizing therapeutic benefit.

Needs improvement: “We have a long way to go still before we have a drug factory that will land in a target tissue to produce a drug of interest,” noted Anderson. The study has proved the principle of the first step—getting the protein expressed on signal—but future research will need to ensure that the nanoparticles and the proteins they produce aren’t toxic in the wrong place, and that they get to the right location. Targeting the nanoparticles to the appropriate tissues might be achieved by “decorating” the surface of the vesicles with specific proteins, said Gu. Furthermore, although most of the materials in the current particles are probably safe, some are microorganism-derived, Anderson pointed out, and most likely need to be switched to human alternatives. Finally, getting the drug expressed is also just one part of the problem, said Doktycz. So far the system has no way to re-cage the DNA to halt protein production when it’s no longer needed. “Turning on is one thing, but turning off is another,” he said.
http://the-scientist.com

WHY SILK MAY BE ADDED TO VACCINES SOMEDAY

Fiorenzo Omenetto/Tufts University

Soft to the touch, silk may also help preserve vaccines and drugs someday.
Silk is in neckties, scarves and some fancy underwear and pajamas. Before too long, it might just help keep people from getting sick with measles or polio.
Vaccines play an important role in health, but can be tricky to transport to the far corners of the world. Many vaccines and some other drugs require constant refrigeration — from the factories where they're made to the places where they're ultimately injected into people.
That's where silk comes in.
Researchers from Tufts University recently discovered that proteins in silk could help protect some vaccines and drugs from heat damage, eliminating the need for this so-called cold chain, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Chemicals in vaccines and some antibiotics given by injection must stay in the right folded shape to work properly. When exposed to heat or moisture those folds can unfold, and the drugs or vaccines can no longer challenge the bacteria or viruses they were designed to battle, says Dr. David Kaplan, a bioengineering professor at Tufts University and lead author on the study.
Silk proteins stabilize the medicines and act to "pin the structure in place," Kaplan says.
With the addition of these silk supports, the vaccine (against measles, mumps and rubella) and two antibiotics were able to retain their potency at temperatures over 100 degrees for two weeks or more. Without silk stabilizers, heat that high saps their effectiveness in less than a day.
Though this finding could help clinics in the U.S. eliminate the need for costly refrigeration facilities, the biggest impact of this discovery could be global.
"The cold chain is a severe limitation to the distribution of therapeutics. Not only in the U.S., but in developing nations where the cold chain is difficult to maintain, or may not even be present," Kaplan tells Shots.
Silk is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for some medical uses, but Kaplan's concept is far from becoming a pharmaceutical reality.
However, using silk to reduce the need for a cold chain got Kaplan and his team brainstorming.
"Think of a Band-Aid with small little spikes. When you put it on the skin, it penetrates the skin just through the outside layer so it doesn't hurt," says Kaplan. "You can envision making these Band-Aids with vaccines and other drugs in there during the manufacturing, and distribute them without worrying about temperature exposure. And then when you're ready to use it, you just put it on your skin."
http://www.npr.org

SCUOLA NORMALE SUPERIORE REDUCES COMPUTATION TIMES IN THE STUDY OF MOLECULAR DYNAMICS AND HELPS CREATE THE FIRST VIRTUAL MUSEUM IN ITALY

“Thanks to the HP Z series Workstations and High Performance Computing environment, we’ve been able to reduce by one third the time it takes to obtain results. We also have the additional advantage of using computing power conveniently available under our desk” - Constantino Zazza, computational chemist and performance computing expert, Scuola Normale Superiore

Objective
Increase computing power while delivering an open source software platform to help reduce operational costs and define a heterogeneous IT solution to study complex molecular systems

Approach
Conducted a three-month trial of the HP Z800 Workstation, testing the flexibility and modularity of the new platform

IT improvements

• Increased computing power, making it possible to study the molecules in a liquid system, providing greater insight for research
• Improved processing speeds, enabling results in one week instead of one month

Business benefits

• Reduced cost of graphical rendering, improving research into macromolecules
• Lowered cost of roll-out, with open source software providing greater access and support

Established in 1810, the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa has been offering young people the opportunity to learn in an environment at the forefront of global research. Graduates include scientists, politicians and intellectuals, many of which have made remarkable achievements in their field.
Many scholars are involved in applied research, especially in the fields of material science and nanotechnology. One such is the highly-regarded Italian computational chemist, Dr. Constantino Zazza, a performance computing expert who resides and teaches at the University.
“We’re always looking for technological solutions to obtain a better description of molecular systems, simulating the dynamic behaviour in their natural environment” says Zazza, “We are talking about highly detailed numerical experiments of great interest to the scientific community. This is extremely challenging as they involve a large number of interacting molecules.”
Zazza needed greater computing power in order to study extended and flexible molecular systems, the basis of genetic heritage. After using the University’s server resources for some time, Zazza decided to make a radical change and trialled a stand-alone workstation for computational modelling, from HP.
“I trialled an HP Z800 for three months,” says Zazza, “and I experienced the great advantages of this platform first hand. First of all, I realised the convenience of having high performance computing under my own desk, but the real difference was the available power for numerical simulations: The HP Z800 Workstation, equipped with the latest generation graphics cards, allows me to operate in multi-GPU mode, using two ‘on demand’ GPU units for scientific computing and one for graphics.”

A new perspective
After the trial, Zazza decided to keep the HP Workstation, which soon became a point of reference for other researchers at the University.
“Instead of waiting a month for calculations,” says Zazza, “I can have the information I need in a week or so. Waiting times are three to five times shorter than the previous system. These results are due to both the multi-GPU capabilities of the Workstations and the opportunity for fine-tuning that the platform allows. For example, I’ve optimised an environment based on Scientific Linux 6.1 and used Cuda, the parallel computing tool developed by Nvidia. In summary, I’ve been able to configure a Workstation that is perfectly suited to my simulation requirements.
“Finally, as not only Linux but also the rest of the software and tools are open source, libraries, compilers and development environments within the University are able to use this, without additional expenditure on new software..”

From molecules to works of art
While Dr. Zazza’s work focuses largely on scientific computing, the introduction of the Z800 has allowed even more insightful uses, such as three-dimensional rendering.
“The Scuola Normale Superiore has started using a further five HP Workstations, this time under Microsoft Windows,” says Zazza. “The aim is to create what will be the first virtual museum in Italy, a high resolution 3D Cave.”
Conceived and created by Professor Vincenzo Barone, president of the Italian Chemical Society, the museum faithfully reproduces works of art. It will aid both educational activities (the museum is also open to schools) and scientific ones (scientists and experts have access to the museum to analyse the attribution of the works to the respective authors, for example).

Even more power in the future
The HP Z800 Workstation provides efficient support for the heterogeneous CPU+GPU calculation schemes. This enables Zazza to predict future developments not only on the hardware platform, but also in terms of software, knowing he can count on high levels of stability and reliability.
“From a technology perspective, the prospects are very encouraging,” says Zazza. “We’re at a point where we can plan the study of the molecular systems underlying life science which give results of great international interest and improve our understanding of nature. We can even consider memory and core expansions, which will significantly speed up computation operations already made easier by the use of GPUs. Furthermore, the ability to customise the use of aggressive and hybrid computational resources using open source software has attracted great interest from colleagues. Many now look to the HP Z800 as a benchmark for their research.”
hp.com/us/en/mobility

STUDY USES STEM CELLS TO BOOST RED BLOOD CELL PRODUCTION

New method could dramatically increase transfusion blood supply, researchers say.
Using human stem cells, scientists have developed methods to boost the production of red blood cells, according to a new study.
Their discovery could significantly increase the blood supply needed for blood transfusions, the researchers said, and their methods can be used to produce any blood type.
"Being able to produce red blood cells from stem cells has the potential to overcome many difficulties of the current system, including sporadic shortages," Dr. Anthony Atala, editor of the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine, in which the study appeared, said in a journal news release.
"This team has made a significant contribution to scientists' quest to produce red blood cells in the lab," said Atala, who is also director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
How does the new process work?
"We combined different cell-expansion protocols into a 'cocktail' that increased the number of cells we could produce by 10- to 100-fold," said researcher Eric Bouhassira, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Currently, the blood needed for life-saving transfusions is obtained only through donations. As a result, blood can be in short supply, particularly for those with rare blood types. The researchers produced a higher yield of red blood cells by using stem cells from cord blood and circulating blood as well as embryonic stem cells, according to the release.
"The ability of scientists to grow large quantities of red blood cells at an industrial scale could revolutionize the field of transfusion medicine," Bouhassira said. "Collecting blood through a donation-based system is serving us well but it is expensive, vulnerable to disruption and insufficient to meet the needs of some people who need ongoing transfusions. This could be a viable long-term alternative."
The study, which appeared online Aug. 2, was partially supported by the funding agency of the New York State Empire Stem Cell Board.
www.nlm.nih.gov

THE CHEMICAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION CELEBRATES CATALYTIC EFFECT OF WOMEN IN CHEMISTRY WITH ONLINE FILM SERIES

Films Aim to Encourage Study of Science Among Young Women

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) proudly announces the release of The Catalyst Film Series: Women in Chemistry funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and created by CHF. The documentary-style film series, accessible at www.chemheritage.org/womeninchemistry, celebrates the catalytic effect that extraordinary women have had in chemistry and endeavors to encourage young women to pursue the study of STEM programs and the sciences in particular. “The Chemical Heritage Foundation is thrilled to share the stories of the highly accomplished women featured in the Women In Chemistry series,” said Thomas R. Tritton, president and CEO, Chemical Heritage Foundation. “While these women couldn’t be more different from one another, they have at least one thing in common: a love of science. We hope their stories will inspire our next generation of women to pursue their dreams and become scientists.” The women featured in these films have worn the hats of student, researcher, wife, professor, advisor, mother, pilot and marketer. They are:
•              Kathryn Hach-Darrow, cofounder of the Hach Chemical Company
•              Mary L. Good, former president of the American Chemical Society, undersecretary for technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce under President Bill Clinton, and recipient of the Priestley Medal
•              Uma Chowdhry, retired senior vice president and chief science and technology officer of DuPont
•              Nancy Chang, cofounder and former CEO of the biopharmaceutical firm Tanox
•              Mildred Cohn, first female president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
•              Stephanie Kwolek, former research associate at DuPont and patent holder for Kevlar®
•              Paula Hammond, David H. Koch Professor in engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In addition to the film series, the web site contains supporting materials such as the women’s biographies, information on their respective fields of research and access to “Stories from the Field” available on the web site and through iTunes, beginning on October 1. “Stories from the Field” is a set of audio recordings by other women scientists who have also endured their share of struggles and triumphs as they pursued a career in science.
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) fosters an understanding of chemistry’s impact on society.  An independent, nonprofit organization, CHF maintains major collections of instruments, fine art, photographs, papers, and books. CHF hosts conferences and lectures, supports research, offers fellowships, and produces educational materials. CHF’s museum and public programs explore subjects ranging from alchemy to nanotechnology. For more information on the Chemical Heritage Foundation, visit www.chemheritage.org.

PILLS

CHEMTEX TO SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW ADVANCED BIOFUELS PLANT
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a $99 million partnership with Chemtex to support construction of a new advanced biofuels plant in the United States. The plant is expected to be located in Sampson County, North Carolina and produce 20 million gallons per year from energy crops. Construction is targeted to begin in late 2012. Peder Holk Nielsen, Executive Vice President, Novozymes refers: “Novozymes is excited to partner with Chemtex to convert energy crops into cellulosic ethanol in North Carolina. It is a great step forward for the U.S. biofuels industry and an endorsement of the technologies Chemtex and Novozymes have each developed. I am confident our collaboration will become a benchmark for the advanced biofuels industry in the U.S.”. Slated to open in 2014, the plant will employ approximately 65 employees and indirectly generate 250 more jobs in the community, not including construction jobs.
www.novozymes.com

OPTIMIZING MOBILE PHASE SOLVENT PURITY FOR LC/MS
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., has published a white paper entitled Optimizing mobile phase solvent purity for LC/MS. The company explains that the optimizing the quality of mobile phase solvents can contribute to improving the chromatographic or mass spectroscopic properties of the analyte, as well as the overall detection limits of the instrument system. The whitepaper highlights the low mass background, metal ion content, contamination and LC/UV response, using diode array detection, that is possible when using the Fisher Chemical Optima LC/MS solvent range instead of other solvent brands. Optima LC/MS solvents are manufactured and packaged using proprietary techniques to ensure exceptionally low metal ion content and minimal MS background noise. The company refers that they also offer lot-to-lot consistency and extended column life due to low residue levels, setting the standard of excellence for consistent, reproducible performance in the mobile phase of advanced LC/MS systems.
www.thermofisher.com

ECETOC PUBLISHES REPORT
Originally launched in 2004, the ECETOC Targeted Risk Assessment (TRA) tool consists of 3 separate models for estimating exposures to workers, consumers and the environment that arise during a series of events (“exposure scenarios”). The tool can be downloaded without charge from http://www.ecetoc.org/tra. ECETOC launched version 3 of the tool at a workshop in May 2012 in Brussels, and has now published a Technical Report (No. 114) which explores the background and rationale for TRAv3.
http://bit.ly/ecetoc-tr114

CHINA ARRESTS 2,000 INDIVIDUALS AND DESTROYS 1,100 PRODUCTION FACILITIES FOR MAKING COUNTERFEIT DRUGS
Chinese police said Sunday they seized more than $182 million of counterfeit pharmaceuticals last month in the latest attempt to clean up a food and drug market that has been flooded with fakes. The government said that it had mobilized more than 18,000 officers in recent weeks to break up drug counterfeiting rings arresting around 2,000 people. The suspects went so far as to advertise their drugs online, in newspapers and on television, and the drugs caused problems ranging from liver and kidney damage to heart failure, it added. The police also destroyed 1,100 production facilities. A Chinese ministry said: "The criminals' methods were despicable and have caused people to boil with rage".
www.Rx-360.org

CROSS HAS ACQUIRED THE MAJORITY OF MICRO-MACINAZIONE SA
The Swiss private equity company Cross has acquired the majority of Micro-Macinazione SA. According to Markus Reich, Managing Partner of Cross Equity Partners AG: “Micromacinazione distinguishes itself through an experienced management team, top-quality technological expertise and plenty of development possibilities. Moreover, it operates in an attractive, growing sector with high market entry barriers. By investing in Micromacinazione, Cross has underlined its focus on succession solutions for medium-sized companies”.
www.micromacinazione.com    www.crossequity.ch

ORTEC ANNOUNCES UPDATED FOODGUARD SYSTEM FOR RADIOACTIVITY MEASUREMENTS OF FOODSTUFFS
The ORTEC Products Group of AMETEK Advanced Measurement Technology has announced an update to the FoodGuard-1 Food Screening Systems originally introduced in response to the Fukushima reactor accident in Japan. Version 2 of the FoodGuard-1 Screening System comes with multi-language support in Japanese, Russian, Chinese as well as English. The system also has been made more flexible, allowing it to more easily adapt to changing regulatory requirements, and a new mobility option has been added. The company explains that ORTEC FoodGuard-1 Food Screening System is a simple-to-use, portable sodium iodide (NaI) detector-based system for the rapid screening of both liquid and solid foodstuffs. Moreover the company underlines that the fast-screening system offers clear results, including calculations with percentage of maximum permitted concentration (MPC) and audible alarms that warn of samples that exceed a user-set percent of MPC. The system is designed primarily as a “front-line” response for food producers, importers and export agencies. It features a highly efficient counting system, easy sample loading and an intuitive user interface, and is supplied pre-calibrated for “out of the box” deployment.
www.ortec-online.com

NEW CATIONIC PREBOTTOM RANGE
LANXESS is presenting a new cationic prebottom range for the production of soft, natural and elegant leather for shoes, handbags and garments. “The particular advantage lies in the fact that these products are perfectly matched” says Bianca Verstegen, head of Global Product Management Finishing in the Leather business unit. Finishes with a variety of effects, high transparency and a natural feel can be achieved through the combination of various cationic polyurethane dispersions, waxes, oils and protein binders. When used together, these products offer very good hiding power for small to medium-size defects.
www.lanxessleather.com

LIVE LAB TOUR
Merck Millipore recently wrapped up its Live Lab tour on 14 June in Martinsried, near Munich, Germany. The company’s innovative Live Lab exhibition, housed in an eye-catching motor coach, started its journey in London in mid-May with visits to the University College London and the Imperial College. The Live Lab then took to the highway, winding its way to two other UK venues in Oxford and Newcastle, before continuing on to continental Europe for visits to sites in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy and Germany. The company explains that the Live Lab was designed to bring information about new technologies right to the workplace, and to save time for scientists whose busy schedules don’t allow for offsite visits. Live Lab visitors were invited to get “hands-on” experience with the Merck Millipore products in each of the labs and to test how they actually worked. Sophie Pruvost, Merck Millipore Lab Water Market Communication Manager, and coordinator of the Live Lab Tour noted: “Visitors to the Live Lab were impressed with the novel and modern exhibition space, and were interested in seeing so many of our leading products up close and all together. For example, our Lab Water purification systems - such as the Milli-Q® Integral pure and ultrapure water system - were set up for real operation, with connections to a tap water supply right on board the motor coach”.
www.merckmillipore.com

CLARIANT AT CPHI 2012
Clariant’s promise to create added value by appreciating the needs of its pharmaceutical sector customers will take centre stage at the CPhI 2012. A highlight for CPhI 2012 visitors will be Clariant’s broad portfolio of Pharmaceutical PEGs/ Macrogols, a leading product range under the trade name Polyglykol, used as API in laxatives and as excipients for tablets, suppository masses, organ preservation, protein purification and drug delivery systems. Clariant offers a complete range of different molecular weight, high purity PEGs supported by CEP certification and DMF.
www.clariant.com

THE LINKAM CSS450 STAGE
Linkam Scientific Instruments, have been chosen as suppliers of a CSS450 for the Polymeric and Mesomorphic Materials Group, CENIMAT, Portugal for the rheological characterization of anisotropic materials. CENIMAT is a national scientific research centre sponsored by the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education. It is divided into four Research Teams: Dielectrics Materials and Structures Group, Electronics and Microelectronics Materials Group, Polymeric and Mesomorphic Materials Group and Structural Materials Group. The research undertaken in the framework of Polymeric and Mesomorphic Materials Group is focused in the areas of liquid crystals, polymer science and technology.
www.linkam.co.uk

GENETIC CODE OF THE PROTEIN PGC-1ALPHA
Recently scientists working on a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF discovered a large new region in the genetic code of the protein PGC-1alpha. Previously unknown variations of the protein, which can be found specifically in the brain, are produced from this region. This discovery may provide tissue-specific starting points for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington´s, Parkinson´s and Alzheimer´s.
www.fwf.ac.at

PVC BLOOD BAGS
A recent critical review commissioned by the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM), contests a life-cycle assessment (LCA) carried out by the PVCfreeBloodBag project, which concluded that PVC blood bags “pose a significant risk to human health” and should be phased out in favour of PVC-free alternatives.
www.pvc.org

SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WITH MEMC
Evonik Industries and its customer MEMC Electronic Materials have agreed to settle and resolve disputes related to two long-term take-or-pay supply agreements for the supply of trichlorosilane (TCS) to MEMC's Merano, Italy polysilicon facility. Pursuant to the settlement agreements, MEMC will pay Evonik a total of 70 million Euro in full settlement of all obligations under the terminated supply agreements.
www.evonik.com